CLEVELAND -- Johnny Cueto is going to miss a start. Devin Mesoraco's playing future this season isn't so rosy.
Cueto won't start Sunday's series finale against the Indians as originally planned because of what the Reds described as "general soreness." Mesoraco's problem hip is giving him more trouble than that, putting his season in jeopardy.
Mesoraco hasn't started a game at catcher since April 11 and has been limited to a handful of pinch-hitting and designated hitter assignments since being diagnosed with a hip impingement. He's undergone various treatments, including platelet-rich plasma injections designed to increase the healing process. Those treatments have worked to a degree, enough that Mesoraco attempted to get into a catcher's squat and do some position drills twice this week.
All that proved is that he's nowhere near ready to play defensively and that surgery may be the next option.
"It's very disappointing," said Mesoraco prior to Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Indians, the team's seventh loss in a row. "I expected to feel better than what I have. We've been doing some stuff that has been helping and has been making me feel better and then to go out there and not be able to get into a normal catching position that I'm used to is definitely disappointing. Compound that with feeling worse after I try to do all of that stuff it's not a good thing."
Mesoraco did drills this week in Kansas City and initially felt fine, he said. It was the day after that he began feeling the same way he did back in April when the condition initially presented itself. He attempted to work out again on Friday in Cleveland but he never felt comfortable.
"It just didn't go very well," said Mesoraco. "It just doesn't make sense to do a whole lot more right now because it doesn't feel good."
Mesoraco had a breakout season in 2014, hitting .273 with 25 home runs and 80 RBI in 384 at-bats. He had an on-base percentage of .359 and slugged at a .534 clip. This season he's had just 45 at-bats and is hitting .178 with two RBI.
Brayan Pena and Tucker Barnhart have split the catching duties without Mesoraco available to play. Pena has started 27 of the last 37 games with Mesoraco injured and has been one of the most consistent offensive players, hitting .313 with an on-base percentage near .400.
No decision has been made on the next course of action.
"We've really followed every single protocol that you can with this particular injury and it has not gotten to the point where he can do anything catching related without having a recurrence of soreness," said manager Bryan Price. "I just don't think we're going to see a lot of Devin here in the days and weeks to come. The decision that will be made by Devin and the club is pending, so I'd rather not say what the next course of action is. I just don't anticipate him being able to really be able to influence our club as a regular player anytime soon. That's what we have to look at and those are the questions we have to answer and what's best for Devin moving forward."
Cueto's situation isn't quite so desperate. The typical soreness a starting pitcher experiences after an outing has lingered, said Cueto and Price. Neither was concerned about the situation being a long-term issue but it was enough for Price to replace Cueto with Raisel Iglesias.
"I think he could pitch on Sunday if we just wanted him to fight through it, as guys do from time to time through the season," said Price. "We just felt like I've asked a lot of Johnny. I've asked a lot of him to pitch and pitch on turn and not always give him the extra day when we have an off day. I trust him enough to leave him in there a lot of times in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. If he needs a little extra time he's certainly earned it."
Cueto is 3-4 with 3.04 ERA and 0.96 WHIP this season in 65 1/3 innings. He's completed at least six innings in all nine of his starts and only once failed to finish seven innings.
"I told (the trainers) when I was pitching in Kansas City during the (last) game that I was feeling a little stiff. We did something and things went okay. Thank God that things went all right, and now I just want to take my time," said Cueto through assistant trainer Tomas Vera who was acting as his interpreter. "Bryan knows me. He knows I would do it but I don't feel 100 percent so there's no reason for me to pitch."
